The Second Prince: Starting Flame
by InfiniteWriter
Summary: "We were seen as two copies. No individuality. We were never our own person. It wasn't until our later years that we were given our proper distention. I became a cherished, golden gem of the nation; I could do no wrong. [Zuko] became the unwanted lead waste; regarded as too soft and weak." Alternate Universe and History. Genderbent Azula.
1. Chapter 1

**The Second Prince: Starting Flame**

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**Infinite Writer**

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**Chapter One: Approach the Scene-Part One  
**

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**Fire Nation Royal Place Gardens**

**Summer 92 ASC**

I was only eight years of age as I furtively sneaked through the trees, checking my surroundings. I stood tall and graceful; I didn't even make a sound as I looked for my older brother, Prince Zuko. Instead of fighting, Mother wanted us to play a simple, non-violent game of hide-and-seek.

"And absolutely no fire bending," she warned. Her golden eyes zoned in on me. "That also means no extortion, manipulation, and/or power-broking, Azulon."

I sighed then crossed my arms. "Fine. Take all the fun out of playing with Zuzu."

I really didn't need to use any of those skills Mother said anyway; it was always easy to beat Zuzu at these kinds of games. He was never subtle nor smart. Father said that all the traits of a Fire Nation Prince skipped Zuko.

"That _boy_ is of no use to me," he said one day. He was talking to our mother. They had just witnessed our fire bending performance at the Academy a few minutes before. As always, I out-shined Zuko. Mother defended him as usual. Her reason for every one of Zuko's failures was that he needs time to learn and he was just a late bloomer. Father just waved her off.

I pressed my back against a tree. I was careful not to tear my clothes; I had already burned one pair that were used for public outings. I had wanted to get more practice in before I showed my bending in front of Fire Lord Azulon and the noblemen. Mother was still angry. Right now, I wore the clothes of a young royal prince: a gray shirt with a red and black tunic over it and gray pants that tucked into a pair a black, pointed boots. My hair was in a traditional top-knot with my head-piece placed on top.

I tensed when a heard some noise. I looked towards the bushes that were moving in front of me. Looking closer, I could see the glint of Prince Zuko's crown through the leaves. _You always surprise me every time with your stupidity, Zuzu._ I slowly sneaked up to the bushes without making a sound just like Father taught me. I was upon inches to the bushes. I could hear the slow breathing of Zuko as he tried to stay hidden.

I decided to tease him a bit. _Mother didn't say anything about deceit. _"Where could Zuko be," I asked to myself, making sure he heard me. "He has never been this good at hiding," I said to myself. I stopped when I noticed the absence of his breathing. I smirked.

"He must have hidden in the palace," I told myself. I made my way over the entrance of the gardens. In the corner of my eye, I could see that Zuzu poked his head out of his poor hiding place to watch me. That idiot had a look of triumph on his face. _So Little Zuzu finally thinks he has beaten me? _I walked into the hallways, but as soon as I was out of sight, I swiftly jumped out of the nearest window. I saw the back of Zuko, who was still hiding, through the brush I landed in. I didn't take notice of the new hole in my pants as I quietly walked up to him and touched his back.

Prince Zuko gave a start from the faint brushing of my fingers. His eyes were of a deer-moose caught in a hunter's trap. Zuko turned around and narrowed his eyes when he saw me laughing at him. His face turned red in anger. _Here comes his trademark temper._

"How did you find me," Zuko shouted angrily as his fists clenched at his sides. "I swear to Agni that I saw you walk back into the palace!"

"Have you ever heard of the word decoy or maybe deceit, Zuzu," I asked. "I wanted you to think that. Maybe you should start to use that brain that you have inside that dense skull of yours."

He clenched his fists. "One of these days, Azulon," he warned as he pointed his finger at me, "I will finally beat you."

"I wouldn't count on _that _day happening anytime soon," I replied with a smirk.

Before Zuko could comment, Mother walked up to us. "It is good to see that you are both playing together again after your latest fight," she said with a smile.

She spoke of last week's accident. Zuko was practicing his fire bending stances while I watched him from the sidelines. After about ten minutes of observing each of his failures, I grew bored. _I don't even see the reason why he would keep trying, _I thought as I saw him land on his butt again. He was attempting to create an ark of fire with his foot. Looking around, I spotted his duel dao swords that Iroh given to him.

They were curved and single-edged. This feature made them very effective in fights. For better handling, the hilts curved in the opposite direction of the blade. For an extra feature, the swords had specially shaped guards that allowed them to be sheathed in a single scabbard. This served as a birthday present for Zuko's ninth birthday a couple of weeks ago. As a bonus, Iroh got Piandao, the greatest swordsmen in the Nation, to teach him. All I got for my birthday was one toy solider from each of the four nations. I had fun practicing my aim on them. Mother wasn't happy about that either.

Taking my chance when he wasn't looking, I grabbed them. With a smile, I took off to my room. That is where Zuko found me a few hours later. Not wanting to be out of character, we immediately started to argue. Of course, that leads to fighting which usually progressed into me throwing fire at him while he dodged. It ended with Zuko having a serious burn on his arm. Father was pleased. He told Mother that boys will be boys, but Ursa wouldn't have it. As punishment, she locked both of us in our rooms for the rest of the day.

Zuko didn't suffer that much because Mother came in every other five minutes to check on him. She even gave him treats! She only came into my room once, and all she did was yell at me about being irresponsible with my bending. To further my punishment since I burned Zuko, I wasn't allowed to go with Chan, my friend and classmate, to see his father's ship.

"You came just in time," I said. "In a few more seconds, you would've had no choice but to break up another fight."

She ignored my comment. "Your friends are here to visit you," she informed us.

Zuzu frowned. "Is Chan coming," he complained. Those two never got along. Zuko saw Chan as another version of me. Of course, I was smarter and far crueler, but Zuko still didn't like him. His dislike for him soon grew into hatred when Chan started to flirt with Mia, Zuko's crush.

Laughing, Mother answered his question. "Yes dear, he is coming, too. You two should get clean up before they get here." She looked towards me. _What did I do, now?! _She bent down and examined the new hole in my trousers. "I thought I told you not to ruin anymore clothes, Azulon!"

I heard Zuko laughing at me as Mother dragged me to my room.

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**Royal Training Grounds**

**Winter 100 ASC**

"Fire is the element of power."

One guard charged at me. He quickly sent two streams of fire. _Defense. _I drew my arms together to absorb the on-coming flame. _Offense_. When the fire dissipated, I threw my arms down and kicked two fire blasts towards the man. He copied my previous defensive move, but my blue fire was too strong; he was sent flying from the impact. He landed on the ground defeated. Two more guards appeared and simultaneously shot fire streams towards me. _Defense. _I pulled my arms together once again as the flames surrounded me. I would have been seriously burned if I wasn't wearing my training armor.

"Fire benders use their drive and will to overpower their opponents. You, Prince Azulon, must know when to strike and when to dodge."

Slowly, I moved my hands in a circular motion to wipe the fire off me. I placed my body into a basic fighting stance again. _I am the dragon. _One of the men shot three blasts of fire at me. Instinctively, my body bent backwards to escape the first blast. I got back up again. I kick my right leg out to extinguish the second one. The third blast passed mere inches from my face after I moved to the side. _I wield the blue flame. _I rushed forward. Together, the two men created two fire arcs in my direction. I went into a tumble to dodge the raging fire.

"You are the Crowned Prince. You will _not _be defeated by the guards who live to protect you."

_I __cannot __be overpowered. _Finding my inner fire, I took a relaxed stance as one of the guards ran up to me. I extended my left leg, powered by fire, to throw him off balance. He stumbled. _Offense. _To finish him off, I punched him in the jaw. Seeing his fellow guard defeated, the remaining guard retaliated with a quick sequence of fire blasts. _Defense. _I lifted my feet and hands to respectfully extinguish each flame. _Offense. _Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I twisted my arms in a series of quick movements. Blue fire ignited around my arms. I snapped my arms in front of me to deliver a concentrated blast to the guard's chest. The attacks connected. He was thrown into a nearby wall and slid down the surface unconscious, leaving a trail of smoke. _I __cannot __be tamed._

Smirking, I turned around to face my twin teachers Lo and Li. They were appointed as my fire bending mentors when I was a child. They were also my brother's mentors before he was banished. Their job was to oversee our training. Zuko and I would be taught the techniques and Lo and Li would prefect our combat.

"That was very good, Prince –"

Lo was interrupted by the arrival of a servant. The servant bowed to me and Lo and Li before announcing the reason of his presence. "Crown Prince Azulon the Second, the Fire Lord seeks your presence," he informed.

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**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights that relate to Avatar. If I did, the comics would have been extended into another season.**

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**AN: ****This is a story that I have been working on for a good while. I no-way near finishing it, but I decide to post what I have so far. Hopefully, I will be inspired to finish writing it. It going to take me a while because I have enough ideas to make about four stories. I have a set the plot line to this story, but I am open for suggestions! Read, Review, and/or PM!**

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**Beta Readers: Wings of Avalon and The Spirit Of Flight **


	2. Chapter 2

**The Second Prince: Starting Flame**

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**InfiniteWriter**

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**Chapter Two  
**

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**Fire Nation Palace**

**Winter 100 ASC**

I walked down the darkened hallways of the palace. I was cleaned and dressed in the proper clothes to meet my father _which consisted of_a basic pair of trousers and a tunic with my armor placed over it. My cloak was pinned to my right shoulder, and my crown was placed in my top knot.

These halls were always dark; only lit by torches during the night so the servants and guards could see. When you are in the palace, you are in a whole new world then when outside. Right now, it was high noon, the brightest part of the day, but yet, it is still dark.

I remember my older brother, the former Prince Zuko, being scared of these halls when we were little. He wouldn't dare walk these halls alone especially during the night. Whenever he could, he would stay outside in the sunlight. He was always the soft and shy child. In contrast, I was hard and bold. It's funny when you think about how much we look alike, despite the age difference of about two years, but act so differently.

In our early years, we were seen as two copies. No individuality. We were never our own person. It wasn't until our later years that we were given our proper distention. I became a cherished, golden gem of the nation; I could do no wrong. Little Zuzu became the unwanted lead waste; regarded as too soft and weak by Father.

In my mother's eyes, we couldn't be more different. Zuko became the cherished, golden gem of _hers. _I became the unwanted and _uncared for _lead waste. Every little mistake, failure, or downright embarrassment, she would praise Zuzu and cuddle him. She barely even acknowledged me for every triumph and achievement I reached. Little Zuzu would barely get in trouble with my mother. Likewise, it was a daily thing for me. I looked forward to it. It was a chance to prove that _one _time, I was in the right and she was wrong. It seemed like the only time she would willingly notice me.

I am glad that I would never see that woman ever again.

The only acknowledgment and praise I would get was from Father. He said he saw the potential in me to become a great general or even Fire Lord. Every time I would get in trouble with Mother, he would always say I was right. It was the exact opposite for little Zuzu. Father downright despised him.

Zuko and I had the greatest sibling rivalry of the century because of our rivalry with our parents.

I chuckled. Now, we couldn't be more different. We don't look the same anymore since his Agni Kai. With half his face burnt off, you had to really look to see the similarities. We are siblings by blood, but politically, we were not. After his dueled with Father, he had been banished and disowned until he returned home with the Avatar, the master of all four elements. It was impossible however; nobody has seen the Avatar for at least a hundred years. Our great-grandfather, the late Fire Lord Sozin, went to his death-bed still looking for him.

The late Fire Lord Sozin had a great mind, but sadly, he was ahead of his own time.

I stopped at a set of large, artistic doors. The doors had golden flames dancing along them. In the middle, there laid the symbol of the Fire Nation, a flame coming up to three points. The three points stood for honor, loyalty, and strength. The Fire Lord held all these characteristics and more. The Fire Lord and the Royal Family had the golden blood of the Sun Spirit, Agni.

I looked towards the two guards, ordering them to open the doors to see my father.

"Yes, Crown Prince Azulon the Second," they sounded off while bowing. I loved the sound of my name and title. It makes me feel powerful and important, which I am. I am next in line to the throne, the next to rule this great nation.

I let the guards open the doors to allow me to walk in. I walked into the throne room with my back straight and my hands behind my back. I held my chin up. Even though I am the Fire Lord's son, I still need to show respect towards him. I kept my eyes in front of me; never looking anywhere but where my father sat on his throne behind a curtain of burning flames.

When I reached the front of his throne, I got down on one knee and bowed. "Father," I started off. "You sent for me? I had to cut my fire bending lessons short because of your call."

"Rise, Prince Azulon," he said, making sure his deep voice bounced off the walls. "I am sorry your lessons were cut short, but I am in need of your abilities."

I stood up and faced my father. I managed to look through the curtain of flames to see my older brother's face. Zuko took after our father while I took after our mother. Father and Zuko's faces were sharp and defined while Mother's and my face were slightly rounded and not as pronounced. That is one of the things Zuko has that I could never have. I hated hearing from the lords and generals of the Fire Nation compare my looks to my mother. There is a good reason for my dislike of this fact. I would do anything to rid myself completely of that woman. "I am your loyal son who lives to serve his father, the Fire Lord."

"Good," he said. "Do you remember your Uncle?"

"Yes, I do. General lroh, the Dragon of the West, failure to the Fire Nation, and caretaker of my brother." I remember that old Fuddy-Duddy. I considered him a quitter and a loser for failing to capture Ba Sing Se after the death of his son and my cousin, Lu Ten. It caused him to become too despondent to carry on with the siege. I still can't believe he was Azulon's favorite. When he wasn't in battle, all he would do was drink tea, play Pai Sho, and make bad jokes. Lu Ten didn't fare any better. He was almost an exact copy of Iroh. For what I can remember, the only good characteristic in my regards was that he was an excellent fire bender and soldier.

"Well, he and Zuko were at the battle at the Northern Water Tribe."

I masked my surprise as I quickly connected the dots. If they we were there then the Avatar was there as well. Reports from the outposts said these two were after the, newly discovered, Avatar. They probably failed at capturing him again. "Were they after the Avatar," I asked to confirm my thoughts.

"Yes, they were. They failed though. And with their failure, led to the failure of the battle. They allowed the Avatar to escape from them which led to him saving the Northern Water Tribe."

I smiled. They are in more trouble than they could ever imagine. "What are we to do Father," I asked.

There was a pause as my father rose from his throne. He parted the flames and walked down the steps to lay his hand on my shoulder. In his middle age, my father looked as good as he did when he was younger. He still had a face that demanded you to fear him. He was taller than me as was expected since I am only fifteen years of age. I looked up and stared at his smiling face.

"Your brother Zuko is a failure and your uncle is an even bigger failure," he stated. "They are now traitors to the Fire Nation and are to be arrested on sight. And as for you my son, you are to find them both and the Avatar."

"Yes, Father." I bowed and turned to walk out of the room. I had to get my ship ready to leave for my mission.

As I walked away, my father called my name. I turned around.

His smile got even bigger. "Do not disappoint me."

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**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights that relate to Avatar. If I did, the comics would have been extended into another season.**

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**AN: ****Read, Review, and/or PM!**

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**Beta Readers: Wings of Avalon and The Spirit Of Flight **


	3. Chapter 3

**The Second Prince: Starting Flame**

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**InfiniteWriter**

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**Chapter Three  
**

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**Prince Azulon's Chambers**

**Winter 100 ASC**

In my room, I sat at my desk to think over my plans for this mission. The servants were long gone after preparing me for the day. Right now, they should be helping prepare my ship. I was not to be disturbed. It was no news to anybody in the palace that I was the sharpest mind in all the nation. With my fire bending skills and great mind, I was the Fire Nation's golden prodigy. My reputation was doubled when, at the age of thirteen, I started to bend blue fire. A blue fire bender was never heard of; not even Fire Lord Azulon, my grandfather, had this ability. He was the greatest fire bender of his time.

I poured over maps and read each known report on the Avatar. I deduced that the Avatar was probably still in the Northern Water Tribe to master water bending. His next step should be to go to the Earth Kingdom to find a master earth bender. I made a mental note to remember that the Avatar had created his own merry band of misfits. He seemed to have made an alliance with two Southern Water Tribe teens, one a girl and the other, a boy.

I had a lot to accomplish. To capture Zuzu and Iroh wasn't really a challenge, but the Avatar is another thing. No one has seen him for a century. All I had to help me capture him was old scrolls and legends. This trip was going to take all my wit to carry out. _And guessing,_ I thought sourly.

I was pulled from my thoughts when someone knocked on my door.

"Azulon," the voice shouted. "Come and unlock the door! I know you are in there!"

The voice at the door was Chan, my childhood friend. I slowly rose from my chair to unlock the door. As soon as I opened the door, he ran inside. He almost fell flat on his face, but _sadly_, he caught himself in time.

"Chan, what are you doing here," I commanded.

Chan stood up straight to address me. "I came as soon as I got your message that we were to leave." Now I remember. I considered Chan as a trustworthy ally and a true friend. We were introduced to each other at a monthly war meeting. No children were allowed and his father had nobody to watch him so he was brought to my Mother. He didn't get along with me or Zuko, at first. He was overly confident, conceited, and arrogant because of his family status. It took a while, but soon, he became part of our group along with Ty Lee and Mai, two daughters of Fire Nation noblemen. It was only fair to tell him that I was leaving.

"Yes, I am to leave tomorrow at noon," I told him. "My mission is to capture my traitorous brother and uncle along with the Avatar." I paused when realization dawned on me and I raised a brow. "What do you mean by 'we'?"

Chan smiled. "You can't leave your second in command here when you go off to bring the Fire Nation greatness."

"You being my second in command is debatable," I argued. "What makes you think you would be of any help to me?"

"Well," Chan started off, counting each reason with his fingers. "I received the same training as you did at the Royal Fire Nation Academy For Boys. I am almost near your level of bending. I am the son of one of our nation's greatest Admiral-"

I stopped with a wave of my hand. "You can stop right there," I said. I can admit that the idiot had some good reasons. He was correct that we both had _similar_ training. Along with the training I received at the Academy, I was trained personally by my Father and the nation's top benders and scholars. I can also say that he isn't at my level of bending, but he wasn't terrible. Saying that he was the son of one of our nation's greatest Admirals is a matter of opinion. His father, Admiral Chan of the Fire Navy's Eastern Fleet, was infamous for his lousy communication skills. Despite this, I think his father is a great leader. He has won many battles for our nation. And any Admiral was better than that loser Zhao.

"These are all good points, but what is your best reason," I asked.

"My status as your best friend demands that I go with you."

I thought it over. It wouldn't help to have an extra hand. Agni knows that most Fire Nation soldiers could be complete buffoons some times. Chan can sometimes be a bigger buffoon than the soldiers, but he does offer good advice. "You can accompany me on my mission."

His was about to cheer before I stopped him. "Just don't be a complete moron."

"Sure," he answered. He hazel eyes narrowed, and he pulled his face into a frown. "Why are Prince Zuko and General Iroh traitors? I thought Zuko was banished because he disrespected your father and General Iroh offered to go with him."

I glared. "Don't call them by their former titles, Chan," I ordered. "They are no longer considered princes of the Fire Nation. And to answer your question, Zuko _had_ captured the Avatar, but he let him escape. This led to the Avatar winning the battle in favor of the Northern Water Tribe. Uncle helped foil Zhao's invasion, and then helped Zuko escape. Nobody knows exactly what happened at the pole or what Zhao's special plan was, but those two helped accomplish our defeat."

"Well," he said, surprised. "A stunt like that can get you labeled as a traitor."

"Yes," I answered in a cold voice. "Those idiots single-handedly foiled what would have been the Fire Nation's greatest triumph, besides capturing Ba Sing Se, in this war."

"I always liked Zuko and Iroh when we were little," Chan admitted. "Uncle always had these cool stories and Zuko was always good at fire-ball."

"I don't see why," I said. "Zuzu was always crying over every little thing. The only reason he was good at that game was because the goal was to dodge the fire; Zuzu was always afraid of getting burned. Then Iroh would always talk about tea and play Pai Sho."

"Good point."

"Go get ready for departure. I have a training session to complete."

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**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights that relate to Avatar. If I did, the comics would have been extended into another season.**

* * *

**AN: Read, Review, and/or PM!**

* * *

**Beta Readers: Wings of Avalon and The Spirit Of Flight **


	4. Teaser

**The Second Prince: Starting Flame**

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**InfiniteWriter**

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**Teaser**

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**Fire Nation Royal Library**

**Summer 95 ASC**

When my cousin, Lu Ten, died, I didn't cry. On other hand, my mother and brother didn't have the same level of control that I had. I didn't know about Father and Grandfather's reactions; it has been two days since I last seen them. They were probably discussing the Siege of Ba Sing Se and if Iroh was still fit for command. They had nothing to go on. All reports from the Impenetrable City stopped when word got out about Prince Lu Ten's death.

The siege was an attempt to further our territories into the Earth Kingdom. Sadly, I can't claim the siege as my idea because the Fuddy-Duddy, The Dragon of the West, already acted upon the idea. He stated that, by conquering the capital of the Earth Kingdom, he would secure the Fire Nation's future victory of the almost hundred-year-war.

The Earth Kingdom army put up a good defense to Iroh's invasion. It is a known fact all earth benders were stubborn including the non-benders. The layout of the city is the only reason it wasn't Fire Nation territory. The city has a major wall that was divided up into sections. The first section if the Outer Wall. It one hundred meters tall and was the city's first and thickest line of defense. By the Earth King's orders, soldiers and sentries were placed on the wall at all times; they even decided to even allow them to live there.

Iroh managed to penetrate the Outer Wall after a period of time. I had the give the Old Fart some credit. He was ruthless and cunning. So much so that the general in charge of the Outer Wall surrendered in a heart beat when Iroh and his son struck a thundering blow to his numbers during a night assault. With their large foothold, they charged into the next layer of the wall: the Agrarian Zone.

The Agrarian Zone is between the Outer Wall and the Inner Wall. It is a large area of plains and untamed areas. This was the second stage of Iroh's plan. The Agrarian Zone holds crops and wildlife that are vital to the people of Ba Sing Se. With the breach in the Outer Wall, the Fire Nation stops the imports and exports of resources. Despite the life-saving resources, the zone also widened the gap between invaders and the last wall, the Inner Wall, where the city's citizens lived. Whoever designed the Impenetrable City, they knew what they were doing.

Iroh and his forces were close to winning the siege when Lu Ten died. The same general that surrendered at the Outer Wall did a sneak attack of his own. While Lu Ten and his troops rested, the general approached their camp site. They stayed hidden in the earth until the moon was at its highest peak and the fire benders were at their weakest. They met their fate that night when the general's numbers, the surprised attack, and their weakened bending overwhelmed them.

That was all we knew up to that point. The only other thing that we knew was that Lu Ten's body was due to come in two weeks.

Yes, I could proud myself for not crying at the resent death in the family. I was enjoying my Father's small victory right now. Lu Ten's death will leave Iroh without a proper heir to the throne. The most logical choice for Grandfather to make is to let Ozai become his new heir. He has two children and Mother was still young and healthy.

I was going over my thoughts while reading a book on the original fire benders, the dragons, in the Royal Library. The first benders to actual learn from the dragons was the Sun Warriors' civilization, the precursor to the modern-day Fire Nation. Later, they tamed the them. All benders that managed to ride a dragon were regarded as strong fire benders.

I am truly sad to say that they were extinct. If we still had them, this almost century-long war would have been over in a couple of years.

My great-grandfather, the late Fire Lord Sozin, was responsible for the loss of the mighty animal and the also extinct sport of Dragon Hunting. Anyone who managed to killed a dragon earned the title of "Dragon" and their talents as fire benders would be legendary. This is one of the reason why I can't stand Uncle Iroh, the so-called 'Dragon of the West'; he was the one that killed the final one. I heard stories that he actually killed a family of dragons: a mother, a father, and an unborn egg.

Our fascination of dragons was one of the things Lu Ten and I had in common besides our firebending. By the time I could talk and understand words, Lu Ten told me hundreds of stories involving dragons. To take it a step further, we tried to incorporate bending forms based on our knowledge of the species and ancient scrolls we managed to track down.

Our time together slowly ended when it was time for him to go off to war. During he slow and less frequent returns home, he didn't have enough time for me. He had enough time for Zuko though; everybody always have enough time for Zuko. Just like Mother, he realized what I was becoming and feared my power like Father told me.

Unknowingly, I started to cry and a single tear stain the text of the book. Realization hit me and I got out of my seat and with anger, wiped my face of the tears. Needing to recollect my self, I walked further into the Royal Library.

As a single structure, the Royal Palace is a simple layout with elaborate decorations. It had three towers: the main tower in the middle and two wings on both sides with their own towers at the end. On the backside of the main tower lays the large third wing. The third wing houses the main line in the Royal procession, the War Room, the Throne Room, and various other rooms for other types of meetings.

The inside of the palace, there are numerous and enormous halls, smaller wings inside the three main ones, chambers, and secret rooms and passages. Tapestries and fire-themed paintings and details lined the walls.

The Royal library was no different. It is located in the east wing of the palace. It almost takes up the entire wing. The ceiling was raised high with depictions of the royal family taming dragons as its decoration. The whole building was unusually circular; we always built rectangular structures for they take up less room. Rows and rows of books lined the walls; never-ending. Halfway through the rows, there was a set of stairs that toke you to other five floors.

I was on the second floor. This floor housed all the myths and old stories of our people. Despite my logical sense of mind, I enjoyed reading from this floor than any other. You could say that Lu Ten got me hooked when he read a book about a fire bender who wield the blue flame as I do and tamed the King Dragon.

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**Prince Azulon's Chambers**

**Summer 94 ASC**

"Early in Fire Nation history," Lu Ten reprised. "There lived a famous and proud prince of the Fire Nation named Atsushi, meaning pure ambition. He was an intelligent and brave warrior. He accomplished many extraordinary and astonishing things. They say he was the direct son of Agni himself for he had the brightest golden eyes in the land. He also had the brightest flame: blue fire. When he first bended, he burned his teacher to ashes."

"That is just like I did," I interrupted from my bed. "Instead I burned Master Kenya's eyebrows off."

Lu Ten laughed from his seat near my bed. "Exactly," he stated. "When I heard the story, I knew I had to tell you the story of Atsushi. Let's continue before Aunt Ursa shows up and lectures me about being responsible.

"With all of his feats, he wasn't satisfied; he needed to do more. From his mother, he learn of the story of the King Dragon. The King Dragon was the largest, smallest, and bravest dragon there was. No one could tame him, and if someone was lucky enough to get close to him, they were erased from existence by the dragon's _white_ flame. Upon hearing this, he decide to do the impossible and tame-"

"I hope you are getting ready for bed, Azulon," Ursa shouted from around the corner.

"Well, that is my cue to leave, Azul," he said, rising from his chair and yawning. "I guess we have to finish the story until I come back from the Earth Kingdom."

Disappointment appeared on my ten-year-old face. "What about the story?"

He smiled. "It will have to wait until I come back because I am the only one who knows the story by heart," he explained.

"I thought you found the book in the library?"

"I did. But being the easily frighted child I was, I dropped the book as a reaction to a sound I heard and ran off." He sighed, "I could never find it after I came back the next day."

"Azulon," Ursa shouted again.

Lu Ten started to head for the door. Once he reached it, he paused. "You know," he smirked. "You could try to find the book while I'm gone. Think of it like a treasure hunt."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not have any rights that relate to Avatar. If I did, the comics would have been extended into another season.**

* * *

**AN: Sadly, this is not a real chapter, BUT it is a sneak peek of chapter four. I would have updated sooner, but who knew that high school could kick ass?! Trying to stay at the top of the class is a twenty-four hour job! Please, don't forget this story. I am still writing. It is just going to take a lot of hard work on my part.  
**

**Until I return in a (hopefully) flash, read, review, and/or PM!**

**To Guest: I plan on continuing AND finishing this story. If you look on my profile, you can see my plans for this story.**

**To** **pink ****light's archive: First, love your profile pic. Darth Maul rocks! Thanks for the excitement and encouragement!**

**To Nightwing's Apprentice: Thanks! I'm glad that you love the concept! Thanks for also erasing my worry of Azulon being OOC.**


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